CHED: Face-to-face classes may be allowed in virus-free areas

Posted at Jun 10 2020 06:18 PM | Updated as of Jun 10 2020 07:26 PM

MANILA (UPDATE) – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said Wednesday it was studying the possibility of allowing in-person classes in areas where there are no COVID-19 cases as long as the number of students in each classroom is reduced.

Class sizes may be reduced by up to 50 percent to allow physical distancing in classrooms, said CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera.

“Ang nakikita ko, may mga lugar na puwede kang mag-limited face-to-face [learning],” CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

(What I see is that there are areas where we can allow limited face-to-face learning.)

Schools may also implement staggered schedules to decongest classrooms, according to De Vera.

But the CHED chief said colleges and universities planning to implement limited face-to-face classes must consult with their respective local government units over matters such as public transportation.

“Kasi kapag nagsimula ka ng limited face-to-face tapos walang public transportation, kawawa ang mga bata,” he said.

(If you start limited face-to-face [classes] without public transportation, the students will suffer.)

Schools without medical facilities must also coordinate with the local government to come up with a system to be able to bring sick students to quarantine centers or hospitals, De Vera said.

In a text message, De Vera said it was up to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to decide whether face-to-face classes would be allowed.

“CHED is monitoring the conditions on the ground and continuing consultations with HEIs (higher education institutions) on this matter,” he said.

The commission and the Department of Health will come up with health protocols for schools conducting face-to-face classes, said De Vera.

The CHED earlier said colleges and universities can start their school year depending on their learning delivery mode.

Higher education institutions using full online education may open any time after May 31, while those with flexible learning can start in August.

Schools using significant face-to-face mode can open in September, according to CHED.

At the basic education level, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in-person classes would be postponed until a vaccine against COVID-19 was available in the country.

But Briones added that she would ask permission from President Rodrigo Duterte to allow face-to-face classes in areas where there are no COVID-19 cases.

SOURCE: https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/10/20/ched-face-to-face-classes-may-be-allowed-in-virus-free-areas